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Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox hopes today’s Budget will include measures to tackle poverty.
The Government has been under fire for its attitude to child poverty, which some ministers have insisted is not a serious problem.
Ms Fox says on behalf of the Government she accepted a petition yesterday on poverty from the Action Station group, which she will forward on to Prime Minister John Key, Finance Minister Bill English and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.
She says eliminating poverty is an issue the Maori Party has as part of its confidence and supply agreements with National.
"It was Tariana Turia who has been banging that drum since the moment the Maori Party walked into government. No one else spoke about poverty in 2008 and 2011 when she set up the ministerial committee on poverty. So I was very happy to accept that (petition) and we are hopeful that there will be benefits for all people in the budget today that can help to address those issues that are very important to this nation," Ms Fox says.
Bill English will read his seventh Budget this afternoon.
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